Sabbatical Update- weeks 5 and 6!
Last week, I was blessed by the opportunity to take part in an eight-day silent retreat given by Contemplative Outreach at Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino. For the first three days, Alene joined me, which was a blessing. On the last day, she picked me up, and we even got to see the Odyssey with my parents at a movie theatre on the way back! Every day, we sat for meditation in the morning, ate in silence, and had a teaching session about contemplative practices and Centering Prayer by Fr. Bill Sheehan, an expert on CP who has been practicing since its start in the US in the early 1980's with Fr. Thomas Keating. The sessions were the only times when we could talk. After a daily Eucharist service (serving communion to all who believe in the real presence), we ate lunch in silence, did an optional two-part sit, then had downtime in the afternoon to do crafts/pray/read/walk, and then in the evening we would eat dinner in silence, do a sit and have quiet time to reflect. Thi...